Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill was infamous in the guidebooks used by emigrants heading west. Originally a series of at least three chutes, wagons were tied to trees by ropes, or held back in the steep chutes by dragging big logs. This was one of the most difficult pieces of the Oregon Trail. Pioneers named the hill from the resemblance of local rhododendron leaves to those of the eastern laurel plant.

At Laurel Hill the early Barlow Road went from the summit of Laurel Hill at 3,600 feet elevation, descending nearly 2,000 feet to the base of Laurel Hill. At least five identifiable "chutes" existed on the side of the treacherous slope. Many Oregon Trail travelers considered descending this hill the worst part of their journey west.

“... The hardest part of the journey was the descent. The slope was so steep that only a few "laurels" clung to it - since the leaves are similar, the pioneers mistakenly called the rhododendrons laurel. In places the grade on Laurel Hill was 60%. Men, oxen, and wagons inched down the backward leaning cliff. The slope was worn with ruts 5-7 feet deep. One wheel might drop 3 feet off a boulder while another dropped into a 2-foot hole. Wagons slid down the hill with all wheels locked and a 40-foot long tree tied behind for additional braking, the outstretched branches gouging the soil. At the foot of the hill, the tree was left to block the next wagon!”*